School boards ask government to lift ban on seclusion rooms

Alberta’s four largest school boards met with Education Minister Adriana LaGrange on Thursday to urge the province to lift a ban on seclusion rooms, intended to calm students in “exceptional cases.”

“I can tell you that parents and families in each of our individual districts, as well as staff within our districts, need clarity, and they need certainty around the use of seclusion rooms,” said Edmonton Public School Board chairwoman Trisha Estabrooks from Board chambers on Friday. “At the end of the day … this is about the safety of students and the safety of staff within our districts.”

Following the commissioning of a working group on seclusion room guidelines in October 2018, in March NDP Education Minister David Eggen issued an order banning seclusion rooms in all schools in the province as of Sept. 1.

“Schools must be a safe and caring environment for all students to learn, especially the most vulnerable,” he said on March 1, calling for a more “progressive” way of handling special cases.

Some advocates and parents are dismayed by the boards’ request, arguing that current seclusion room guidelines are not sufficient to safeguard the rights and safety of vulnerable children.

“The Calgary and Edmonton Public and Catholic school districts are choosing to ignore the anguish expressed by hundreds of parents across the province who shared their devastating stories of the physical and emotional harm their children experienced when school districts used seclusion and restraints solely as they determined,” said CEO Trish Bowman in a Friday news release.

In 2018, Inclusion Alberta surveyed almost 400 parents of children whose children had been secluded or restrained in schools, finding “a picture of shame and abuse,” within the families.

“(The school boards’ argument) really disgusts me because this is an issue of safety, it’s an issue of safety of the children, the vulnerable, special-needs children that are getting locked up in these rooms,” said Marcy Oakes, a parent and former member of the working group.

Oakes and her husband are suing the province and Elk Island Public School Board after, in 2015, their then-12-year-old-son who has autism was discovered covered in feces after being left in a seclusion room for 45 minutes.

None of the allegations that the school board or staff violated their son’s Charter rights have been proven in court.

Schools were eligible to apply for exceptions to the ban under Eggen’s order, but board chairs are now asking LaGrange to rescind the ban entirely before the start of the new school year next month.

“The ministerial order is not something that is what we can work with at Edmonton Public,” said Estabrooks, noting that she hopes to use this opportunity to take a look at how guidelines and staff training can be improved. “Exemptions are not sufficient.”

Alberta Teachers’ Association president Jason Schilling supported the request Friday, saying that seclusion rooms should be available if needed.

“We believe … the ministry and school authorities should develop more nuanced policies that will assist school leaders, teachers, parents and the public to better understand the circumstances and processes that should be employed if nonvoluntary time out is necessary,” said Schilling in a news release.

Oakes is “disappointed and dismayed” that school boards are asking to remove rules before they have strengthened the existing non-binding guidelines, and said the ban is what provides clarity in the first place.

“They’ve had all this time already,” she said, likening the request to not posting a speed limit on the Anthony Henday Drive to make driving safer. “It’s such a backwards mentality.”

Minister LaGrange tweeted on Friday that the ministerial order remains in effect and declined to comment further.

“We value the input from the metro boards, and will be reviewing their feedback on this issue,” said the tweet. “We will continue to work with partners in the education system to ensure the safety of all our staff and students.”

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